What is a Looper?

A friend of mine asked me this past weekend if I would please write a golf story. After the way I have played lately, I'm not sure what ever gave him the impression that I know anything about that game. In my opinion games are meant to be fun and I've always assumed that was why you played them. However, golf may be the most miserable example of a game that was ever invented. The frustrations felt on some shots can almost make my blood boil and I have come very close to walking away and giving the game up for good on several occasions. I just don't understand why I love this game.

Much like anything else in this world, I have become infatuated with the history of the game. It is steeped in tradition and there are just hundreds of great stories to tell. I'd like to tell you about some stories that you should read, although these are not specifically about players of the game, but about their caddies.

Caddies are not something that we deal with at The Phil, or for that matter, on any course around this area. Although you still see some people walking golf courses today, they usually have a pull cart or carry their own bags; most courses have replaced caddies with carts. The various professional tours still use caddies and these caddies are a very big part of the game. The knowledge imparted to players by their caddies and the working relationship between the two, are critical to the success of professional golfers.

I had a caddy one time and it was in Juarez, Mexico. Four of us young Army officers crossed the border from El Paso back in the late 70's and played a course which required that you hire a caddy. This course was immaculate, there was no trash anywhere and the rough was manicured like the infield at Yankee Stadium. An adobe wall surrounded the entire course and just outside the wall were the slums and ghettos of Juarez. My caddy spoke very little English and my 2 years of junior high, 2 years of high school and 2 years of college level Spanish courses allowed me just enough latitude to order a cerveza or two. We didn't really need to talk though, he just kept handing me the clubs and I kept hitting them very poorly. I felt sorry for the poor guy lugging my bag for over four hours and over some dicey terrain that I'm sure he never in his life had the misfortune to traverse. I think I might have heard a couple of curse words, as we climbed up Mt. Tehualtepepsi. He was a great caddy, as witnessed by the fact that I made it back from Mexico alive and kicking like some jumping bean.

One of the great stories about caddies has to be about Eddie Lowery. In 1913, a young unheralded amateur, Francis Ouimet (pronounced WE-met, as in "We met on a day when a hint of honeysuckle filled the air."), upset the entire golfing world when he beat the great Harry Vardon and Ted Ray in a playoff to capture the US Open Championship. Harry Vardon still holds the record for winning 6 British Open Championships and the trophy which is awarded today to the PGA professional with the lowest scoring average each year is called the Vardon Trophy. Ted Ray was another great golfer who won the US Open in 1920 and the British Open in 1912. But the greatest part of this story was the 10 year old caddy selected by Francis Ouimet, little Eddie Lowery. Author Mark Frost wrote an excellent book, 'The Greatest Game Ever Played: Harry Vardon, Francis Ouimet, and the Birth of Modern Golf', about this Championship and it was later made into a decent little movie. If you haven't read the book or seen the movie, I would recommend both and not just for the golf. The relationship between Ouimet and Lowery is really what makes this such a great story. This relationship lasted until Ouimet's death in 1967.

Eddie Lowery's fame didn't end with being the caddy for a US Open winner though. Eddie went out west and became a millionaire car dealer in San Francisco. He hung around the game of golf for the rest of his life and sponsored or employed various amateur players in his car dealerships. Another book by Mark Frost, 'The Match: The Day The Game of Golf Changed Forever', tells of the millionaire Eddie Lowery's bet with another wealthy gentleman, George Coleman, pitting the young amateurs Ken Venturi and Harvie Ward in a match against the two greatest professionals in the game, Ben Hogan and Byron Nelson. The little 10 year old caddy from the 1913 US Open was now the big money player some 43 years later, who was responsible for setting up this historic match. This is definitely a golfer's book, I wouldn't recommend it if you don't really enjoy the game.

The last book that I would like to tell you about can be a little difficult to read. It is the story of Tom Watson and his brother-like relationship with his caddy, the late Bruce Edwards, titled, 'Caddy For Life: The Bruce Edwards Story', written by John Feinstein. I guarantee you that if there is at least one sentimental bone in your body; this book can cause momentary lapses in reading due to moist eyes. I had to put it down a couple of times when I got a little choked up, but heck, everybody knows how I reacted just watching 'Old Yeller'. Bruce Edwards was an amazing man who knew he was going to die and yet never let the illness (Lou Gehrig's Disease) get the better of him. His courage and unwillingness to give up is a testament to the true character of the man. He is one of those people who you just wish you could have known personally.

I hope that I have whetted your appetite somewhat. I considered providing more in depth information about these stories, but felt it best to leave the reading to you. I always hate it when someone spoils a story for me. For those of you who are interested and have access to the Golf Channel, a documentary based on Feinstein's best-selling book about Bruce Edwards will be aired on Monday, June 14th at 9pm ET. I'll be there with my box of Kleenex.

A looper is another name for a caddy.